I was just wondering whether or not once a person becomes the observer, they are still in control of where their life is going. When I make a decision, and follow through I choose the course of my life, but only when I let the doer take control, if I were the observer wouldn't I just sit there aimlessly?

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]

Hi CoreyIt appears to me that you have to understand the concept of Anatta, the most important of Buddhist teaching which separate it from all other religions. This does not mean to say that Buddhist reject other religions. There is no doer or observe in Buddhist teaching. Once you fully comprehend this without any doubt and eliminate ignorance you will attain Nirvana. Please read the following book. I read this book more than ten times to just to get a glimpse of this teaching. Please start reading from chapter 15 which will answer your question.http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/buddh ... gsurw6.pdf

CoreyNiles92 wrote:I was just wondering whether or not once a person becomes the observer, they are still in control of where their life is going. When I make a decision, and follow through I choose the course of my life, but only when I let the doer take control, if I were the observer wouldn't I just sit there aimlessly?

There is no observer - just a process of observation.And no, you won't just sit around aimlessly. You'll live an informed life and not one which is dominated blind habitual reaction, craving and ignorance.

“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.” - Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:in mountain clefts and chasms,loud gush the streamlets,but great rivers flow silently.- Sutta Nipata 3.725

"Proper effort is not the effort to make something particular happen. It is the effort to be aware and awake each moment." - Ajahn Chah"When we see beyond self, we no longer cling to happiness. When we stop clinging, we can begin to be happy." - Ajahn Chah"Know and watch your heart. It’s pure but emotions come to colour it." — Ajahn Chah

Well, I fail to recall a relevant Sutta, but living instruction involves a broad range of referents and tools of various and varying usefulness.

For my part, I wonder where the description goes, as I'm unfamiliar with it. What is "this process"?

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]

Dullness in meditation is the result of a tired mind, usually one thathas been overworking. Fighting that dullness makes you even moreexhausted. Resting allows the energy to return to the mind. To understand this process, I will now introduce the two halves of the mind: theknower and the doer.The knower is the passive half of the mind that simply receives information. The doer is the active half that responds withevaluating,thinking,and controlling.The knower and the doer share thesame source of mental energy. Thus, when you are doing a lot, whenyou have a busy lifestyle and are struggling to get on, the doer consumesmost of your mental energy, leaving only a pittance for the knower.When the knower is starved of mental energy you experience dullness

So basically Ven. Brahm used the expression within a specific context, dullness in meditation, also known as sloth and torpor, a "popular" hindrance among the Five Hindrances. The link below has helpful info. about the Five Hindrances and could be used as complementary reading along with Ajahn's book. It might help clarifying things for you..

II sankhāra also means sometimes 'intentional effort', e.g. in the formula of the roads to power iddhi-pāda, in sasankhāra and asankhāra-parinibbāyī see: anāgāmī, and in the Abhidhamma terms asankhārika and sasankhārika-citta i.e. without effort = spontaneously, and with effort = prompted.

Good clarification, in many ways self view is caused by the language we use.

"Proper effort is not the effort to make something particular happen. It is the effort to be aware and awake each moment." - Ajahn Chah"When we see beyond self, we no longer cling to happiness. When we stop clinging, we can begin to be happy." - Ajahn Chah"Know and watch your heart. It’s pure but emotions come to colour it." — Ajahn Chah

CoreyNiles92 wrote:I was just wondering whether or not once a person becomes the observer, they are still in control of where their life is going. When I make a decision, and follow through I choose the course of my life, but only when I let the doer take control, if I were the observer wouldn't I just sit there aimlessly?

Hi CoreyNiles92,

There is no person.No observer or doer.There is only observing and doing.This existence is like one big Verb..eating,sitting,walking,thinking,wanting,hating,etc..

because there is suffering there is wanting to be free from suffering....everything is in the PRESENT TENSE..which is why it ends with an -ing. All your memories from the past,thoughts and plans in the future they are all in the PRESENT.Your are not actually traveling back in time or the future your experiencing them NOW in your Mind.

There is no person.All there is in an Action which contributes to the Process!and Everything is a Process Conditioned by the Process Before It.Skillfull actions is what you need to do in the present moment not sit aimlessly and observe.

CoreyNiles92 wrote:I was just wondering whether or not once a person becomes the observer, they are still in control of where their life is going. When I make a decision, and follow through I choose the course of my life, but only when I let the doer take control, if I were the observer wouldn't I just sit there aimlessly?

I think the course of your life would be more determined by what is appropriate to circumstance + ripening of past actions.

CoreyNiles92 wrote:I was just wondering whether or not once a person becomes the observer, they are still in control of where their life is going. When I make a decision, and follow through I choose the course of my life, but only when I let the doer take control, if I were the observer wouldn't I just sit there aimlessly?

Hi CoreyNiles92,

There is no person.No observer or doer.There is only observing and doing.This existence is like one big Verb..eating,sitting,walking,thinking,wanting,hating,etc..

There is no person.

This goes against the Buddha's teaching and is considered an extreme view.